Detour
by LadyLasa
Summary: While the teenagers and their fourth teammate are on their road trip, one falls ill and it's up to Dr. House to find the cause. Sequel to "Alien, Demon, or Undead?". Full summary inside. AF/House crossover.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well, this took a little longer than I had planned, but here it is. A few things I feel need to be mentioned before I post the full summary. This is a direct sequel to my previous fic "Alien, Demon, or Undead?" I strongly recommend reading that before you read this one or you won't really know why they're on a bus or who the fourth member of their team is. This is a little different than what I'm used to writing. I generally write action/horror, so writing something outside of that genre is a little bit challenging to say the least. Reviews are always appreciated and constructive criticism is welcome. **

**Summary:**** Ben, Gwen, Kevin, and Karian are one month into their summer road trip. They have already crossed the southern states and are currently making their way up the east coast. One of the team starts displaying symptoms that eventually cause their vehicle to crash. Once the paramedics have cleared the scene, two of them are determined to have only minor injuries. However, their sick teammate is hospitalized and the fourth member of the group is sent to the morgue.  
Inside Princeton Plainsboro Hospital, a different team is hard at work to determine the mysterious illness. Dr. House wants this mystery solved, but he also knows that the teenagers are hiding something. When a body disappeares from the morgue and is found visiting his young patient, more questions come to light and House won't stop unti he finds the answers.  
**

**Chapter One**

The setting sun glistened on the black paint of the tour bus as it sped down the road. The heat of the late-June day was fading, edging closer to a pleasantly cool summer night. The occupants of the vehicle didn't notice the change; the climate control keeping the interior at a comfortable seventy degrees Fahrenheit. The driver wiped a few beads of sweat from his brow despite the air conditioning and the girl in the front passenger seat glanced over at him in concern.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Gwen asked, closing her book.

"I'm fine," Kevin insisted. "I just want to get out of this state as soon as we can. I hate New Jersey. The cops here will pull you over for anything."

"So, that's why you thought it was a good idea to drive twenty miles over the speed limit?" she asked, arching a brow. When he didn't respond, she shook her head slightly. "Honestly, Kevin. If the police pull us over and see that we're a group of teenagers from the other side of the country, and that we're here without our parents, they're going to have questions. What are you going to tell them when they ask why we have something that looks like a dead body in the back?"

"Relax. We're not going to get pulled over." Even as he spoke, he eased up on the accelerator to decrease their speed.

"Hey, can you two keep it down?" Ben asked from a few feet behind them. "Trying to take a nap here..."

"Why don't you pull off at the next rest stop," Gwen suggested, ignoring her cousin's complaints. "Karian will be up soon and he can drive then."

"What part of 'I want to get the hell out of New Jersey' didn't you get?" Kevin snapped.

"You know, we didn't have to go through here," she pointed out, lifting the road atlas and opening it to the display of northeastern states. "We could have taken 476 to 81 and stayed in Pennsylvania."

"We're going to New York City," he stated. "It's quicker to take the Jersey Turnpike."

"And why did we get off the turnpike again?" she asked.

"Too many cops," he replied.

Gwen sighed, realizing that the discussion was going nowhere, and set the atlas down as she opened her book again. They had spent the first month of the summer traveling across the southern states, stopping in the major cities and other areas of interest. They would spend a few days in each place, sometimes staying in a hotel and others sleeping on the bus. There had been relatively few incidents of alien activity, and most of the time those turned out to be opportunities to meet other Plumber's children across the country.

All in all, it had been a great vacation so far. The team was getting along well and even some of the lingering tension between Kevin and Karian was starting to dissipate. The pair still had their arguments, but those debates were usually sparked by good-natured jokes aimed at each other. During their stop in Houston, they ran into Magister Ghilhil again. After they recounted their encounter with the DNAliens and the Highbreed several months prior, including the involvement of the Zalyndryan vampires, he had decided to recruit their newest team member.

Karian seemed thrilled with the idea when he accepted his new badge. Since he had moved to Earth, he had to admit that his existence had improved much more than he had ever thought possible. His prior life, filled with tragedy and pain, seemed long gone. He now had friends that he trusted and, he hoped, that trusted him in return despite the fact that he wasn't human.

Twenty minutes had passed since Gwen and Kevin's brief debate and the sun was hidden by the trees that lined both sides of the road. She looked over at him again, noticing his face appeared flushed and watched him wipe more sweat from his forehead. Frowning, she closed her book and set it aside.

"Kevin, I really think we should stop," she said. "The sun's almost down and we can be on the road again in fifteen minutes at the most. You really don't look good."

"We're not stopping," he insisted.

"Pull over," a voice said from behind them.

"Don't start with me, Karian," Kevin warned. "What the hell are you doing up anyway?"

"You are unwell," he said in response. "If you continue to push yourself now, you will be putting everyone in this vehicle at risk."

"I'm fine."

"Really?" A white eyebrow lifted skeptically. "Your appearance would state otherwise. You're flushed and sweating, which means it's likely that you have a fever, and your heartbeat has become erratic. Does that sound fine to you?"

"Since when are you a doctor?" Kevin retorted.

"I don't have to be a doctor to pick up on the signs that indicate illness," he replied calmly. "This isn't a request, Kevin. I won't allow you to put everyone's safety at risk for the sake of your own stubborn pride."

"Who died and put you in charge?" the teen challenged. "I'll stop once we're out of Jersey."

"Kevin," Gwen interrupted. "He's right. Just stop for a little while, alright?"

"Sure, just take his side..." Kevin muttered.

"This isn't about taking sides," Ben spoke up. "We need to get you to a doctor or a hospital or something."

"I ain't going to a hospital," he said flatly. With a shake of his head, he slowed down and began to pull off onto the shoulder of the road.

Ben returned to his seat as Karian walked past him towards the refrigerator. He watched him withdraw a crimson-filled bottle from the cold interior before the vampire paused, his emerald gaze locked on the front of the vehicle. His expression was alarmed and he dropped the bottle, reaching the front of the bus before Ben could even blink.

Even enhanced speed wasn't enough to prevent the imminent collision and the vehicle came to an abrupt halt as it crashed into one of the many trees. Karian fell forward, thrown off balance, and he slammed into the thick windshield, the force of the impact cracking the special material. Gwen's seatbelt cut into her shoulder, but prevented any serious injury. Ben picked himself up off of the floor, rubbing his head where it had struck one of the partitions.

"Collision detected." A light on the dashboard flashed as a mechanical voice made the announcement. "Attempt to contact Emergency Response?"

"Yes," Karian replied as he stood.

"Nice feature to have," Ben remarked, wincing at the pain in his knee as he headed towards the front. "Is everyone alright?"

"I'm okay, I think," Gwen replied. "But Kevin's in bad shape."

"He lost consciousness right before we hit the tree," Karian explained as he examined the dark-haired teenager's injuries. "His heartbeat increased rapidly and then slowed suddenly. Even now, it's slowing down." He paused, glancing up before speaking again. "I hear sirens heading in this direction. They should be here in a few moments."

"Should we try to get him outside so they can get to him faster?" Ben suggested.

"I don't know," Karian replied. "I don't know the extent of his injuries, but from his positioning, he might be wounded where we can't see."

"Like internal bleeding," Gwen added.

Kevin was slumped over the steering wheel, a slight gash on the side of his face and his features were still flushed. Karian stepped away from him, casting a glance at the cousins to determine how hurt they were. When he saw more concern than pain in their expressions, he walked towards the back of the vehicle and retrieved one of the backpacks.

"How can you think about breakfast at a time like this?" Ben demanded as he watched him pull several bottles out of the fridge.

"I'd rather not explain to the authorities why we're storing blood in here," Karian replied.

"The paramedics are going to want to check you over," Gwen said. "What are you going to tell them?"

"Can't I refuse?" he asked, frowning.

"I don't know," she replied. "I'm pretty sure they have to if you're in an accident."

"Whatever we're going to do, we need to figure it out quick," Ben told them.

"I have an idea," Karian said. "It's not a good one, but it'll have to do." He opened one of the bottles, downing nearly half of it before securing the lid and dropping it into the bag. Handing the backpack to Ben, he reached forward and punched in a code on the control panel. "As far as they'll be able to tell, I was dead before they found us. I'll meet up with you later."

"If they take you to the morgue and you disappear, someone's going to notice," Gwen argued.

"I'll deal with that when I have to," he replied. "We're out of time."

"Can't you just change their minds?" Ben protested as the sirens neared. "Lothan did that before."

"I haven't mastered that skill yet," Karian said. "And this isn't exactly the best time to practice. Just trust me on this. The important thing is that you two are tended to and that Kevin gets to a hospital before it's too late."

Ben wasn't given time to argue as the flashing lights came into view. Limping over to the door, he pressed his palm on one of the side panels, waiting for it to recognize his fingerprints before the door swung open. Leaning on the railing for support, he descended the small set of stairs and stepped out of the vehicle as a pair of paramedics rushed towards him.

*****

"They want to know about their friends," the doctor said.

"No one's told them yet?" Dr. Cameron stared at her colleague for a moment before shaking her head and striding past him.

For once, it wasn't that busy in the Emergency Department of Princeton Plainsboro Hospital. Lifting the set of charts, Cameron read them quickly before approaching the pair of cousins that had just been seen by he co-worker. They were slightly bruised and bandaged, but she knew that it could have been a lot worse. Both sets of green eyes looked up at her expectantly and she offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

"I'm Dr. Cameron," she introduced. "How are you two feeling?"

"We've been through worse," the teenage boy replied with a shrug.

"Not to be rude," the girl beside him began, "but we've been here for two and a half hours and all we've done is answer questions. So far no one's told us anything."

"Where are our friends?" the boy added.

Cameron studied them for a moment, trying to keep her expression from giving away the news she would have to relay to them. The cousins exchanged a glance, apparently picking up on her hesitation and she looked down at the charts before speaking.

"Your friend Kevin is being admitted to the hospital," she explained. "We've managed to get his fever under control, but he's still unconscious."

"Is he going to be alright?" the girl asked.

"We're doing everything we can." She hated giving such an ambiguous answer, but she couldn't honestly give them an affirmative response.

"What about Karian?" the boy prompted.

"He didn't make it." Cameron read their shocked expressions and watched the girl rest a hand on her cousin's shoulder. "I'm so sorry. The paramedics said that there wasn't anything more they could do for him."

"I'm sorry, Ben," the girl said softly.

"How?" he asked. "I saw him hit the windshield, but that didn't seem like enough to…"

"We won't know anything more until tomorrow," Cameron replied before pausing for a moment. "Where are your parents?"

"Back in Bellwood," the girl replied. "They agreed to let us go on this trip because we had an adult with us."

"We're going to have to call them," the doctor told them.

"I already did," Ben stated. "They're flying out here tomorrow to make sure me and Gwen are alright. How long is Kevin going to be here?"

"Until we can find out what's wrong with him," Cameron replied. "Don't worry, we have one of the best doctors available assigned to him." She offered a small smile and glanced over her shoulder to regard another incoming patient. "Excuse me for a moment."

"Never knew you could act," Gwen remarked as soon as the doctor was out of sight.

"I never knew I was good at it," he replied with a slight smile before growing serious.

"I just hope they figure out what's wrong with Kevin," she said, glancing down. "I wonder if they'll let us see him."

"They should," he stated. Frowning, he thought over what the doctor had told them. "What do you think she meant when she said they'll find out tomorrow what happened to Karian?"

"It means they'll probably do an autopsy," Gwen replied. "That has disaster written all over it."

"We have to find out where they put him." Ben rose to his feet, still favoring his left leg. "Can you…?"

"I can try," she replied. "It's going to be hard though since, technically, he's not alive." She cast a glance around to make sure none of the other hospital staff was watching them for the moment before her eyes took on a brief, but bright, pink glow. As it faded, she nodded. "He's one floor below us."

"Alright," Ben said. "See if they'll let you up to Kevin and find out how he is. I'm going to find Karian and get him out of here."

*****

He was thankful that the cold had no effect on him. Karian dared to open his eyes only slightly, long enough to notice what he assumed to be a monitoring device near the ceiling. They had stripped him of his clothes and possessions as soon as they had brought him into the room, but that hadn't been the worst part of the ordeal. When their "rescuers" had sent waves of electricity into his body in attempt to revive him, it had taken every ounce of control to remain perfectly still.

_Who knew that playing dead would be so difficult?_ he thought wryly. He recalled the list of colorful words that Kevin had taught him and had found that most of them would have been more than appropriate when it came to describing the situation. It was still early in the night, but he knew he had to come up with a plan for escape sooner rather than later. _I hope the others are faring better than I am at the moment._

*****

"What are you doing here?" Cameron asked in surprise.

"My eight o' clock appointment cancelled," he replied, flipping through the stack of charts. "She said she had a better paying customer." Dr. Gregory House read the file quickly, nodding to himself. "Fever, unknown substance in his blood, fainting, and crashing the Mystery Machine. Sounds like fun."

"So, you'll take it?" she pressed.

"Kevin E. Levin," he mused, ignoring the question. "Man, his parents must have hated him."

Thirty minutes later, he limped into his office and tossed the file on the table. His team looked at him expectantly, wondering why they had all been called in, before Dr. Eric Foreman lifted it and began to read it. Before he could comment, he realized House was already making notations on the whiteboard.

"Sixteen year old male," he began. "Fever, fainting, anomaly in the blood." Dropping the marker in its tray, he turned to face them. "Go."

"Fever points to infection," Foreman offered with a shrug.

"Could be leukemia." Dr. Remy Hadley, more commonly referred to as Thirteen, took the file as it was handed to her.

"That would make sense," House began, "if we knew what the anomaly was."

"He's a teenager," Dr. Chris Taub stated. "It could be a bad reaction to drugs."

"Tox screen came back clear," Foreman replied.

"Run it again," House ordered, nodding to Taub. "In the meantime, start him on antibiotics for infection. When you're done with that, get another sample of his blood and figure out what the anomaly is." Turning his attention to the other two, he continued. "You two can go search the bus."

"We don't have the keys," Foreman replied.

"Oh, like you don't know how to get into a locked vehicle." He rolled his eyes with a smirk before turning back to the whiteboard.

"Where's his medical history?" Thirteen asked.

"Good question," House replied. "According to that, the last doctor this kid's seen was the one that delivered him."

"So he hasn't had any vaccinations at all?" Taub asked.

"Apparently not," House told him as he grabbed his cane and headed for the door. "This should be fun."

"Where are you going?" Foreman asked.

"Someone has to get his medical history," he replied as if it should have been obvious. "Don't you have a bus to break into?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Finally finished this chapter. I'm sorry for the delay. Things have just been crazy in real-life land these past few weeks. Hopefully, updates won't take nearly as long in the future. **

**A big Thank You goes out to everyone who has reviewed so far. You have no idea how much I appreciate them. Also, since I forgot to include this in the first chapter, here's the disclaimer...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ben 10: Alien Force or House, M.D. I am not receiving any profit from this at all. The only characters that are mine are ones that I had already established in my previous fic (this includes Karian. He's definitely mine).  
**

**Chapter Two**

"You're awake!" Gwen leaned over as Kevin slowly opened his eyes, concern clear in her eyes as she smiled at him. "How do you feel?"

"Like crap," he replied hoarsely. "Where are we?"

"You're in the hospital," she told him.

"Thought I said not to take me to…"

"We didn't really have a choice," she interrupted. "Kevin, do you remember what happened?" When he shook his head, she sighed. "You went to pull over and ran the bus into a tree."

"I did?" His eyes widened as he looked her over. "You guys alright?"

"They're fine." The answer came from the man limping into the room. "Well, mostly. I'm Dr. House."

"You don't look like a doctor," Kevin stated, watching him warily.

"Coming from the kid that hasn't been to one in sixteen years…" House countered as he set his cane down and sat on the side of the bed. "You must have an excellent memory. Funny how you can't remember driving into a tree." Withdrawing a small light from his pocket, he turned it on and leaned forward, examining the teenager's eyes. "Do you know what day it is?"

"Depends on how long I was out," the teenager replied, blinking away the spots caused by the light.

"Stand up." The doctor moved off of the bed, grabbing his cane, and watched his patient hesitate for a moment. "Sometime tonight would be nice."

"You might want to rethink your attitude, doc," Kevin warned, glaring as he sat up.

"I'll get right on that," he said dryly. Watching the teenager stand shakily, he nodded slightly to himself. "So, on top of whatever else is wrong with you, you've got a concussion." He glanced over to the door as Taub entered. "While you're running the other tests, get a CT Scan of his head. Let me know if you find anything in there." Without waiting for acknowledgment, he headed out into the hall.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't shove that cane right up his…"

"Because he's trying to help you," Gwen replied without giving him a chance to finish the sentence.

*****

Ben glanced at the security camera embedded in the ceiling before slipping into the rest room. After ensuring that no one else was inside, he turned the dial on the Omnitrix before bringing his palm down onto the hologram. In a bright flash of green, his bones and muscles reformed, his frame thinning as moth-like wings formed at his back.

Wasting no time, Big Chill's form became insubstantial and he passed through the floor, sinking into the subterranean levels of the hospital. When he reached the basement, he glanced around and followed the signs towards the morgue. Another security camera was in place at the door and he passed his hand through it, a coating of ice forming on the machine. He then passed through the door, repeating the strategy with the two devices inside.

He turned his attention to the forms resting on the metal slabs, spotting Karian almost instantly. His form solidified as he landed and he realized the vampire had caught his scent when the pale nostrils flared. A white sheet was positioned over his lower abdomen and legs, leaving his bare chest exposed. Emerald eyes opened to regard the alien and Big Chill stepped back to give him room to stand.

"Are you alright?" the alien rasped.

"I will be once I get out of here," Karian replied. "How are the others?"

"Gwen's fine," he told him. "They're keeping Kevin here, though. Where are your clothes?"

"They're around here somewhere." He glanced around for a moment before speaking again. "I'll find them and meet you upstairs. Do you know where they are keeping him?"

"He's up on the third floor," he replied. "I'm not sure what room though. Gwen went to find out while I came to find you." Watching the vampire cross the room and begin searching for his possessions, he turned away. "Where should we meet you?"

"I'll meet you wherever they're holding Kevin," Karian stated. The reflection of the green flash on the metal cabinets caused him to pause and he turned his head to regard the teenager. "What are you doing?"

"Giving you some privacy until you find your clothes," Ben replied. "Are you sure it's a good idea for you to be seen up there with us? Someone's bound to notice that you're missing from here."

"If you're not returning upstairs now, then your time would be better spent helping me find them," the vampire said irritably. He could hear the telltale rush of blood signaling the flush that had risen to his friend's face and he arched a brow before considering the question. "Good idea or not, I'm not just going to sit in the shadows and wait for news. When we leave here, we all leave together." He grinned when he found the container holding his possessions. "Got it. Besides, maybe I'll have a chance to practice memory modification while we're here."

"Jedi mind trick," Ben said with a laugh. "Vampire style."

"I guess." He shrugged before pulling the dark green t-shirt over his head. "One of these days, you're going to have to explain those jokes of yours." Once the rest of his clothes were on, he checked the bin and frowned. "They must have taken the rest of my belongings elsewhere. My phone, badge, and wallet are all missing."

*****

"What do you mean you can't get in?" House demanded. "Get a coat hanger and pull the lock up."

"It's not that simple," Foreman replied over the phone. "They have some kind of high-tech security system on this thing. It looks like it has voice recognition and a fingerprint scanner."

"Break one of the windows if you have to," his boss ordered.

"We tried," Thirteen told him, proving that the cell was on speaker. "As soon as we hit one of them, the whole bus locked down. There's an armored cover over the windows now." The line was silent for a moment before she continued. "I think there's more to these kids than they're telling us."

"And stating the obvious is really going to help us figure it out," House remarked. "Get back here and we'll send one of them with you." Without waiting for a response, he pressed the button to end the call and glanced up to see Taub enter. "Well?"

"Tox screen is clear," he began. "The CT Scan didn't come up with anything serious."

"Since you're standing here, I can only assume that you've either figured out what the anomaly in his blood is or you haven't bothered to run the tests yet."

"He won't let me take any more blood," Taub replied.

"Get his parents in here," House decided.

"He's an emancipated minor," he explained. "We have no contact information for them either." He watched House stand and head for the door. "Where are you going?"

"Going to get the blood samples that you're too incompetent to retrieve," he replied.

He paused in the corridor as he regarded his patient's girlfriend engaged in conversation with a teenager who he could only assume to be her cousin. They were joined by the first adult he had seen associated with them, although even calling the twenty-something an adult was a stretch for him. House studied the trio for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly as he took in the details, the recent conversation with his subordinates coming to the forefront of his mind.

The girl seemed agitated by the arrival of their associate, even a little panicked, and she was obviously protesting his presence. The white-haired man lifted a hand, but House was still too far away to pick up the details of their discussion. He watched the stranger turn and he met the deep green gaze evenly before approaching them.

"So," House began, "what is it? Witness Protection or just playing with daddy's new toy?"

"Excuse me?" Gwen asked, exchanging a glance with her companions.

"No one needs that much security for a bus unless they have something worth protecting," he replied.

"What were you doing in our bus?" The man's accent was undeniably foreign, but House couldn't quite place its origin.

"You're assuming the idiots that work for me were able to figure out how to get in," the doctor remarked. "And since they didn't, one of you is going to have to go back with them so we can find out if there's anything in there that might be responsible for your friend getting sick."

"You'll need two of us," Ben told him. "If someone tries to break in, it goes into lock-down mode and at least two of us have to authorize it to open up again."

"Which brings us back to my earlier question," House stated. "Why would a group of kids need that kind of security?"

"Perhaps you should spend more time focusing on figuring out what's wrong with Kevin instead of worrying about things that aren't your concern." The emerald eyes had narrowed as Karian spoke, but then he tipped his head to the side as if listening for something. "Something's wrong."

The doctor watched him turn sharply, the motion almost catlike in its grace, and followed his gaze. The monitors inside the room were flashing in warning, the heart rate display fluctuating in reflection of the irregular rhythm. Kevin was struggling to sit up as they entered the room, his face flushed.

"Are you trying to make my job more difficult?" House asked.

"I'm trying to get the hell out of here," the teenager retorted.

"I'll take that as a yes." Grabbing a thermometer from the cart beside the bed, he sat down and held it out. "Lie down and put this in your mouth." When Kevin began to protest, House shoved the device forward. "Keep it under your tongue. It helps if you don't talk."

Kevin glared at him, but complied. House studied the group while he waited for the thermometer to complete its task. They looked normal enough, but the question of why they would need a vehicle with more armor than a tank still pulled at the back of his mind. The sound of the thermometer brought him back to the situation at hand and he pulled it away from the teenager, glancing down at the reading.

"You're not going anywhere," he stated. "Your temperature is rising again." Dropping the device on the table, he continued. "Now comes the fun part. Since we don't have any medical history on you, except the fact that you were born, we get to fill in the blanks." The sound of his cell phone interrupted his train of thought and he pulled it from the case on his belt. "Send Thirteen up," he told the caller.

*****

"It's probably better if you sit shotgun," Ben said as they approached the waiting car. When Karian arched a brow, he continued. "If he looks in the rearview mirror and sees an empty backseat…"

"Good point," he conceded. "I've already slipped up tonight and that doctor is probably trying to figure out more than he needs to know."

"Then we'll just have to make sure he stays focused on Kevin," Ben replied before reaching for the rear passenger door. "The sooner he finds out what's wrong, the sooner we can get out of here."

The ride to the impound lot was filled with tension. Foreman tried several times to coax some answers out of the pair, but they carefully deflected his questions. He wasn't the only one growing frustrated with the fruitless exchange. As he glanced over at his white-haired passenger, he noticed the man's hands were clenched into fists, his gaze averted to stare out the window.

"How much bleach does it take to get your hair that color?" Foreman asked, returning his attention to the road as they neared their destination.

"Is that relevant to our friend's condition or simply to satisfy your own curiosity?" Karian countered harshly.

"Both," Foreman admitted. "If your friend's condition was caused by an environmental factor, then we need to explore all possibilities. Hair dye contains a lot of chemicals."

"My hair has always been this color," the vampire stated.

Foreman glanced at him skeptically, but didn't press the issue. As soon as the car stopped, Karian stepped out and walked a few paces away. Ben watched him, exiting the vehicle as well. He had spent enough time around the vampire to realize that his irritation wasn't entirely due to the endless questions they had endured. Since he had awoken a few minutes before sunrise, Karian had only consumed enough blood to fill half of a water bottle. The hunger was getting to him and Ben couldn't help but be concerned. The small pair of scars on his neck was a constant reminder of what could happen if the vampire lost control and it wasn't an experience that the teenager wanted to repeat.

He suppressed a shudder at the memory as they approached the bus and pushed the unwelcome thoughts aside. As he lifted his left hand, the Omnitrix blinked twice and a small panel slid open beside the door to the vehicle. Ben placed his palm on the screen and the device flashed briefly.

"Scan complete," the mechanical voice stated. "Voice authorization required."

"Tennyson, Benjamin," he replied. "Authorization code Alpha, four, five, seven, two, nine, Kappa."

"Voice recognition confirmed," the computer said. "Password accepted. Secondary authorization required."

He stepped aside as Karian placed his hand on the screen. After a moment, the computer repeated its first message.

"Silver, Karian," the vampire replied. "Authorization code Beta, seven, two, zero, nine, three, Theta."

"Voice recognition confirmed," the computer repeated. "Password accepted. Security lock-down disabled."

The armored panels began to retract, revealing the darkened windows. The whole process only took a couple of minutes, but the sound of metal against metal echoed through the night. Foreman watched as the last few panels disappeared into their compartments, keeping his expression carefully neutral even as the suspicions returned to the forefront of his mind. Turning his head to regard the pair, he watched the teenager hand a backpack to his friend as they briefly exchanged words.

"What's in the bag?" he asked.

"I thought you wanted to look in the bus," Ben reminded as he opened the door.

"Look," Foreman began. "Whether you want to believe it or not, I'm trying to help your friend. All I'm trying to do is find out if there's anything here that might have something to do with his problem. If you have something in there that he had contact with, I need to know."

"Kevin doesn't rummage through my possessions," Karian said evenly. "Especially not my pack."

"Why not?" the doctor pressed. "What's so special about that backpack that he wouldn't at least look in it?"

"You see," Karian replied with a smirk, "I'm reminded of a saying involving curiosity and the unfortunate feline that couldn't resist it."

"Is that a threat?"

"Of course not," he said, taking a step forward. "If I wanted to threaten you, then I'd..."

"Can we at least try to focus on why we're out here?" Ben interrupted, drawing their attention.

"Go on," Karian said, stepping back. "I'll wait out here."

Foreman gave him one last glance before following Ben up the stairs into the bus. He watched the teenager press a couple of buttons on the wall and the interior lights came on to illuminate the area. The vehicle seemed to be comprised of several parts. To their right, the driver's and front passenger seat were located. To their left, the living area began.

They passed through the kitchenette first. Against the wall on the driver's side, an electric stove was placed beside the counter with a small refrigerator on the other side. Foreman searched through it, checking for anything that might have caused an allergic reaction. There was very little actual food in the fridge aside from a few pieces of barely ripe fruit and a few bottles of water.

He looked under the counter, sifting through the small trash can. Again, he found the container mostly empty. Among the crumpled napkins, he found a glass bottle that apparently had once contained pomegranate juice. Unscrewing the cap, Foreman sniffed the empty container before closing it again.

"This smells funny," he remarked, glancing up at the teenager. "Did he drink it?"

"I doubt it," Ben replied. "Kevin's not really a fan of juice."

"I'm taking it in anyway," Foreman decided. "We'll run some tests on the residue, just in case."

Rising to his feet, he headed into the next area. A sofa-like seat was secured against one wall, opposite of the entertainment center. A large, flat-screen television was the central focus, flanked by the sound system. At least two different gaming consoles were connected to the device with dozens of video games stores in the cabinets.

"What's through there?" he asked, motioning to the wall with a single, closed door.

"Our beds," Ben replied.

Stepping over to the wall, the teenager punched in a code on the keypad and the door opened with a click. Inside, there was a set of bunk beds on each wall, providing sleeping arrangements for all four of the travelers. All of the beds were neatly made. Beyond them, a door opened into the bathroom.

As Foreman passed the beds, he realized just how clean the place was. Despite the fact that three teenagers and a young adult had made the bus their summer home, the entire vehicle seemed immaculate. The bathroom was no exception. The medicine cabinet held nothing of interest; only a small bottle of aspirin was placed among the toothpaste and mouthwash.

"This is a pretty nice set up you kids have," Foreman stated as he stepped out of the bedroom area.

"It's a lot different from the Rustbucket," Ben said with a small smile. Seeing the confused expression on the doctor's face, he explained. "When Gwen and I were ten, we went on a cross-country road trip with our Grandpa Max. He had an old RV called The Rustbucket. It had its own kind of charm, though."

"So, he upgraded to this and let you borrow it for the summer?" Foreman guessed.

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "Karian bought this at the beginning of the summer. He and Kevin had it modified for the trip."

Foreman nodded, filing the information away as he stepped out of the bus. As he glanced around, he noticed Karian was nowhere in sight. He was sorely tempted to leave anyway and let the man find his own way back to the hospital, but he dismissed the idea reluctantly. As the only adult associated with the group at the moment, Karian would have to be present at the hospital as much as possible.

"Did you find anything interesting?"

The voice startled him and Foreman turned quickly to regard Karian, who was leaning against the side of the bus. He stared at the man for a moment, swearing that he hadn't seen him there only a second earlier. The emerald eyes glanced past him towards Ben, the smirk shifting into a slight smile.

"I convinced them to release the bus from impound," he told the teenager.

"How did you manage that?" Ben asked.

"I guess I had a persuasive argument," he replied with a shrug before returning his gaze to the doctor. "So, it looks like we'll meet you back at the hospital."

Foreman nodded and returned to his car. A small part of him wanted to protest, but most of him was relieved to be out of their presence. The kid was pleasant enough, but something was definitely off about him. His friend was even stranger. He had no doubt that the mention of the old adage about curiosity was a thinly veiled threat and, while he didn't appreciate it, he also had a feeling that the man could potentially follow through with it.

He waited for them to enter the bus before pulling out of the lot. Glancing in the rearview mirror to ensure that they were following him, he realized the windshield had been treated with the same material as the windows, hiding the occupants from view. His gaze shifted to the bottle on the passenger seat and he pulled out his cell phone to dial House's number.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"If his fever is coming back, then the antibiotics aren't working," Taub stated.

"We're missing something," Thirteen said thoughtfully. "It could be something with his heart."

"How did he know?" House asked, causing the two to exchange a confused glance. "We were out in the hall talking. He wasn't even looking at the room, but he knew something was going on before anyone else did."

"If you're referring to their friend," Taub guessed, "I don't know. Maybe he saw the monitor's reflection in the window. Either way, it's not going to help us figure out…"

"He wasn't even facing the room," House continued, ignoring the attempt to divert him back to the subject of their patient.

"We're not going to know if there's an environmental factor until Foreman gets back," Thirteen told them, trying again to get him back on track.

"That's where you're wrong," he said with a smirk. "Our patient is a teenage boy. When dealing with a kid that's full of raging hormones, we send in the hot doctor if we want results." Rising and grabbing his cane, he headed for the door. "Get as much information out of him as you can. If he doesn't want to talk, start asking the girlfriend."

"Where are you going?" Taub asked as he closed the file and stood.

"Home," he replied. "Once Thirteen gets that sample from him, start running tests and figure out what that anomaly is. Foreman called a few minutes ago, but apparently didn't find much in their bus."

"And how am I supposed to get a blood sample if he won't let any of us touch him?" she asked.

"Teenage boy, remember?" he said, as if it should be obvious. "I'm sure you'll find a way. Make out with his girlfriend if you have to."

*****

"So you got it to work?" Ben asked. Looking over at Karian, he watched him send an uncomprehending glance in his direction. "The whole Jedi Mind Trick thing," he elaborated. "That's how you got them to release the bus, isn't it?"

"It wasn't exactly difficult," he replied, returning his attention to the road and the car in front of them. "The attendant was half asleep, so his mind was in no shape to resist my suggestions."

"How long do you think it'll take them to figure out what's wrong with Kevin?" Ben turned his head to look out the window as he changed the subject, watching the darkened landscape pass by.

"I don't know," Karian admitted. "My experience with the doctors of this world is extremely limited. If I thought we could pull it off, I'd suggest that we get him out of there and call in a healer from my homeland. Even my sister has minor skills that could help." He frowned as another thought occurred to him. "Let me borrow your phone."

"Any ideas on how we'd manage that one?" Fishing his phone out of his pocket, he handed it over. "We all know that Kevin hates hospitals, so that might work out better."

"We're already under too much scrutiny," he replied, shaking his head as he dialed the familiar number. Karian frowned again when he received the voice mail greeting and disconnected the call after leaving a brief message. "If they have my cell phone, it's likely that they've called Cassandra already. She's the only family I have here, but hopefully, she'll check her messages. My supplies are running low and I was planning to restock once we reached the city. I had enough to get through tonight, but after that…" He trailed off, leaving the sentence hanging as he handed the phone back.

"We'll figure something out," Ben assured him.

Even as he spoke, he found the thought unsettling. He wasn't sure how long his friend could go without his particular form of nourishment, but he wasn't really anticipating finding out. Staring out the window again, Ben saw the hospital take shape up ahead and they pulled into the parking lot behind the car that they had been following. Once the bus had been parked at the end of the lot, and the security system was activated, the pair made their way to the main entrance where their escort was waiting.

Foreman seemed to study them closely as they approached, much closer than either of them found comfortable. His expression was impassive, but he offered them a nod before leading them back inside. The elevator ride was endured in silence, although Karian tensed as the doors slid shut. Once they reached the designated floor, he and Ben headed directly for Kevin's room.

Gwen was sitting in the chair beside his bed and glanced up as the pair entered. Kevin looked in their direction as well and opened his mouth to speak, but shut it quickly when Thirteen entered. He watched her suspiciously as she slid a pair of gloves over her hands and stepped around to the other side of his bed.

"Now what?" Kevin demanded.

"I need to get another sample," she replied simply.

"I already told him no," he stated, nodding towards Taub as he entered the room. "I'm not some kind of lab rat for you to keep experimenting on. Either you know what's wrong or you don't, but don't keep jerking me around like this."

"We're trying to figure it out," Thirteen explained. "We think it might have something to do with the anomaly in your blood."

"There ain't nothing wrong with my blood," he countered.

"If you don't want to cooperate, we can always sedate you," she said evenly.

He seemed to comply as he stretched out his arm, palm up. Kevin watched her closely as she brought the needle towards the vein in his forearm, his fingers wrapping around the support rail on the bed. The needle broke against the metal coating on his skin and he smirked triumphantly before the substance retreated from his arm.

"I said no," he stated.

Thirteen stared at his arm for a moment, hardly trusting her eyes as she lifted them to regard the equally shocked expression on her colleague's face. She noticed a different kind of surprise on the faces of her patient's companions. It was almost as if the act itself was nothing new to them, but the fact that he had done it had left the entire room speechless. Rising quickly, she retreated into the hall, Taub following closely. Once out of earshot, she turned to him, trying to grasp what they had witnessed.

"What just happened?" he asked. When she only shook her head in response, he glanced at the room behind them. "I'll call House."

"Do you think he'll even believe us?" she argued. "You saw them. This wasn't an isolated incident." She paused, shaking her head again. "This is impossible."

"Maybe we were just seeing things," he offered, the argument failing to convince even himself. "We've been here since early this morning."

"Then explain this." She held up the broken remains of the needle, neatly snapped where it had tried to puncture the teenager's skin.

Taub had no rational explanation to offer. He sighed in defeat and strode past her, leaving her with the same questions that were plaguing him. She watched him go, casting one last glance at the debate raging within the room. She couldn't bring herself to think that it had been just another symptom of Kevin's malady, although it would have helped her to cease questioning her own sanity. As she watched, Gwen looked past the others and, as she met her gaze, Thirteen could almost read the warning in her eyes. She couldn't bring this new development to House. Not yet.

*****

Dr. Lisa Cuddy was waiting at the front desk when he arrived at quarter after nine the next morning. House grinned to himself, an opening jab just waiting to pour out of his mouth when she turned to face him fully.

"We have a situation," she informed him.

"Since when do 'we' have anything?" he asked. "Or is it that you have a situation and you expect me to fix it?"

"A body is missing from the morgue," she continued, ignoring his questions.

"Oh no," he replied in mock horror. "The zombie apocalypse must be upon us."

"House, this is serious," Cuddy stated, obviously not amused. "The one missing was traveling with your patient. He came in D.O.A. last night and now his body is gone. Security ran through their footage, but they had a problem with the cameras for a couple of hours."

"How convenient," he remarked, taking the file she was extending in his direction. As he flipped it open and glanced down at the photograph, all traces of humor faded from his features. "That's impossible." He closed the folder and handed it back to her. "The EMTs must have screwed up. I talked to him last night. He even went with one of my patient's friends to let Foreman into their bus."

"Are you sure?" Cuddy asked, unconvinced. "They checked his vitals at the scene. They wouldn't have called time of death if there was any chance that he was still alive."

"Unless they screwed up," he repeated. "They must not have checked him thoroughly. He's probably on the phone with his lawyer right now trying to figure out how soon he's going to own this place and have your job. Good luck with that."

She insisted on accompanying him as he entered the elevator, which only increased his annoyance. Their first stop was Kevin's room, where they found him conversing with Ben and Gwen. The discussion halted immediately as the doctors entered the room, leaving House to guess at what the subject might have been.

"Where's Blondie?" he asked simply.

"Excuse me?" Gwen arched a brow, setting a leather-bound book on the table beside the bed.

"I need to speak with the gentleman that was brought in with you last night," Cuddy interrupted.

"Why?" Ben asked defensively. "And who are you?"

"I'm Dr. Cuddy," she introduced. "I'm the Dean of Medicine here at Princeton Plainsboro. I just have a few questions for Mr. Silver. Do you know where I can find him?"

"He went back to the bus to get some rest," Ben replied. "Can it wait until later?"

"I'm afraid it's urgent," she pressed.

"Ben," Gwen began, "why don't you just take her out there and see if he's still awake. I'll stay here for a while."

He looked as if he wanted to protest, but the cousins stared at each other for a moment. Finally, he stood and nodded as he headed out of the room. Cuddy followed quickly while House paused to glance over Kevin's chart. Without saying anything to the two remaining teenagers, he limped out of the room and down the hall to his office.

His team was waiting, their appearance giving away the fact that they had managed to go home at least for a little while during the night. Lifting a marker, he added another note to the whiteboard: Irregular Heartbeat. He dropped the marker onto the tray and turned to face them, setting his cane to the side as he took his usual seat.

"His heart still isn't beating normally," he stated. "What did you find out?"

"Not much," Thirteen admitted. "He's adamant about not having any more tests done."

"And you didn't think to sedate him?" House countered.

"We considered it," she replied, glancing at Taub.

"The results came back on that bottle," Foreman offered.

"Finally, someone has something useful to contribute," House stated. "Let's hear it."

"There were traces of pomegranate juice," he explained. "However, the residue around the top and at the very bottom is blood."

"So, he's either coughing or throwing up blood," House mused. "He probably didn't want his friends to know about it, so he spit it into the bottle and threw it out. Check his stomach and his lungs. What else did you find out? Do we know anything more about his history?"

"He won't talk about his past," Thirteen told him. "We managed to get a little bit of information out of his friends, though."

"I'm sure they were annoyingly evasive as usual," he remarked.

"About most of it," Taub confirmed. "From what they said, the cousins met him in New York City when they were ten, during the road trip with their grandfather. They ran into him off and on throughout the summer, but they didn't claim any kind of friendship at the time. After that, they didn't see him for five years, but they met up with him again about a year ago."

"So everything before then and between five and six years ago is still anyone's guess," Foreman said.

"Did you at least find out if he's been out of the country during the past six months?" House asked.

"We think so," Thirteen replied. "All they said was that they went to Karian's home for a couple of days. When I asked where it was, he told me that he was sure we haven't heard of it."

"Probably somewhere in Europe," he said, almost to himself. "Alright, so we know he's traveled a lot over the past few months, and that he's left the country at least once. The question is, what are they trying so hard to hide?"

"I thought we were trying to come up with a diagnosis," Foreman reminded him.

"Well, we can do both, can't we?" House replied, rising. "Run those tests. This time, sedate him if you have to."

*****

"We have a direct line wired to the bus," Ben explained as he slid his phone back into his pocket. "I figured I should at least make sure he knows we're coming."

He watched her nod, declining to explain how potentially disastrous it could be if they surprised the vampire with their sudden arrival. Cuddy was preoccupied, not even paying much attention to the brief phone call. She ran over possible scenarios in her mind, trying to figure out what exactly she would have to do to keep them from suing the hospital. The attempt at damage control contributed to the fact that she was walking across the hospital parking lot instead of meeting with him in the comfort of her own office.

It occurred to her that the change in location would put her at a disadvantage. She was handling this on their turf, and it would probably work out on their terms instead of her own. However, she knew that it had to be done if she was going to come out of this fiasco unscathed. She would probably have to fire the paramedics that brought him in and, while she wasn't pleased with that idea, it would be better than losing the hospital and her own job instead.

Her eyes fell upon the large, black vehicle as they stopped and she watched as Ben offered the authorization code to unlock the door. His watch seemed to be tied to the security system, and she could have sworn that she recognized the symbol on its face. In fact, she recalled the small circular disk in the bag of personal effects waiting back in her office.

Keeping her questions to herself for now, and reminding herself of the purpose for this visit, Cuddy followed him up the stairs into the bus. A solid wall was to her right with a keypad in the middle of it and she assumed that led to the main controls. Turning her head, she took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the impending conversation with the man who was emerging from another room at the back of the bus.

"Mr. Silver," she began, "I'm Lisa Cuddy, Dean of Medicine."

"No need to stand on formalities, doctor," he replied, motioning for her to sit as he lowered himself onto the sofa against the wall.

"Of course." She found his calm demeanor unsettling, but she approached him and sat a few feet away. "First off, I'd like to apologize for what happened. I'm sure you're very upset and I'd like to see if there is a way we can resolve this."

"Well, it's not every night that I wake up in a giant ice box without my clothes," he said with a slight grin. "As for resolution of this matter, I'd like to see what you would suggest."

"The paramedics who made the error will be disciplined," she began. "Your friend is already in the care of our best Diagnostician." She glanced over at Ben as he coughed slightly, but returned her attention to Karian.

"And what do you stand to gain by placating me?" he asked bluntly.

"She wants to make sure you don't sue the hospital," Ben told him before addressing her. "That's what this is all about, isn't it?"

"Is this true?" Karian asked, arching a brow.

"Yes," Cuddy admitted. She was growing more uncomfortable by the moment, but she couldn't pinpoint the exact reason. They both seemed calm, much more than they should have been considering the reason for this meeting.

"To be honest," he began, "I hadn't really considered such drastic measures." His shoulders rolled in a shrug before he continued. "However, and I assume you are in a position to negotiate, there are a few things that I would like. Rest assured, I don't consider myself an unreasonable man, but I will admit that last night was not exactly a pleasant experience."

This was it, she realized. This was the point where he would make his demands and she would have to see if they were worth risking her hospital and job to refuse. His slight smile remained, calculating and somewhat predatory. She came to understand that his expression and mannerisms had a lot to do with the feeling of unease creeping through her. The heightened security on the vehicle that she barely noticed when she had entered only increased the unknown emotion that coursed through her. _Dread_, she discovered silently. His voice pulled her from her inner musings and she forced her attention to focus on the pair again.

"I see no need to punish the paramedics," Karian said. "Were it not for them, our friend would not be in such capable hands. I have a few concerns regarding the doctor assigned to him, though."

"Dr. House is the best doctor we have available," she assured him. "I'm sure he'll do everything he can to help your friend."

"Be that as it may, he has been asking questions that do not directly pertain to Kevin's condition," he replied.

"Dr. Cuddy," Ben interjected, "I can't really tell you a lot, but there are a lot of things that he doesn't need to know. We let one of his doctors search our bus because he said that it was important to see if there was anything here that might have made Kevin sick. His doctors are still asking about other things, though. I don't think our security system has anything to do with our friend's health."

"And it shouldn't," she agreed, frowning.

"You must understand that many of the details regarding the four of us are strictly confidential," Karian continued. "We have no problem with Dr. House and his staff requesting information that could help our friend, but it can go no further than that."

"I'll speak with him," Cuddy promised.

"Other than that, there is still the matter of my possessions," he told her. "I would like them returned to me as soon as possible."

"Certainly," she said. "They're in my office at the moment. You can pick them up whenever you'd like."

"I'll pick them up when I go back in," Ben said.

"That should be all, then," Karian stated. "So long as your doctors focus on finding the cause of Kevin's illness without infringing on our privacy, we will be on our way as soon as we can with no further incident."

With the matter settled, Cuddy stood and headed out of the bus. She allowed herself a sigh of relief when the sun fell upon her face. It was surprising that they had agreed to so little in exchange for declining to take any legal action against her or the hospital, but she wasn't about to complain. After all, there was still the matter of explaining the boundaries to Dr. House, who was likely to listen and then promptly ignore them.

Ben closed the door as soon as she had left and turned to face Karian. The vampire regarded him with a satisfied grin and chuckled softly. He seemed just as relieved as the doctor who had just departed and Ben couldn't help but smile.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to mention anything about secrecy to her?" he asked. "You know they're just going to have more questions now."

"They key to successful negotiations is to make them think they received more than they actually have," Karian explained. "She was worried about me taking an action that I had no intention of pursuing. Now, her fears are at ease and not only will my belongings be returned, but she's probably on her way to order her staff to stop asking about our personal matters."

"If he'll even listen," Ben said. "I have a feeling that Dr. House is going to keep pushing no matter what his boss tells him to do."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: First off, I'd like to apologize for the delay in between updates. I just finished writing my first novel and had some work to do with that before I could get back to fan-fiction. I'm working on the sequel at the moment, so updates for this will probably be only once or twice a month. I'll try not to neglect it as much as I have recently, but I can only work with what time I have. Second, this chapter is a little bit shorter than the others, but when I finished it, it seemed the best place to leave off. I'll try to make the next one at least close to the length I usually make them. As always, thanks go out to those who have read, reviewed, and subscribed to this story. I'm glad to see that you're enjoying it.  
**

**Chapter Four**

"Oh, come on," House protested. "Aren't you just a little bit curious?"

"No," Cuddy replied evenly. "It's none of my business and it isn't your business either."

"You're a bad liar," he stated.

"Even if they are part of some government organization, it's not something that we should be prying into," she told him. "Find the diagnosis so we can get them all out of here. I don't need to give any of them an excuse to escalate things."

"That would be so much easier if we were able to run the tests." He paused, waiting for her to look up from her paperwork again. "The kid won't let us touch him. He's refused every test we've offered except for the initial CT Scan to check his concussion. The fact that he's an emancipated minor only makes matters worse. We couldn't even get his parents in here to make the decisions, even if we had any way to contact them. So what am I supposed to do? Wait until he gets worse and give him the choice between letting us do our jobs or dying?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," she replied before returning her attention to the papers on the desk. "No more questions unless they're medically relevant." She glanced past him as the door opened to admit another visitor.

"Is this a bad time?" Ben asked, his gaze shifting between them.

"If it was a bad time, she'd be on the desk and I'd..."

"House!" Cuddy interrupted sharply. "Shouldn't you be checking on your patient?"

"Fine," he said. "I was just leaving anyway."

"Oh, and House," she began with a slight smile. "Clinic duty this afternoon. Make sure you're there this time."

He rolled his eyes at her before he left and she shook her head with a sigh. Returning her attention to Ben, she lifted a small bag and placed it on the desk. She emptied the contents and motioned for him to come closer.

"I assume you're here for these," she said. "This is what they found in his pockets when he was brought in last night. I'd like you to check to make sure nothing is missing."

He gave a brief nod and glanced down at the items, lifting each one. Checking the wallet first, he saw that the California driver's license and credit cards were in place. He slid it into his pocket as he picked up the Plumber's badge and cell phone. Lifting his gaze to her, he managed a smile.

"That looks like everything," he said. "I should go check on Kevin."

"Listen," she began as he turned away. "If you kids are in some kind of trouble..."

"We already went over this," he replied, glancing over his shoulder although he didn't fully face her again.

"Right," she said with a sigh. "Top secret. I remember." She leaned forward, glancing down at the papers on her desk. "Dr. Cameron said that your parents would be flying in today. I can make sure someone meets them at the airport so you can stay with your friend if you'd like."

"You really don't have to do that..."

"They're not coming, are they?"

The tone of her voice made it seem like she was certain in her assessment. Ben looked down for a moment, briefly torn by indecision. He didn't want to lie to her, but he didn't want her prying any further. Before he could offer a response, she spoke again.

"Just give them a call, alright?" she said. "I want to talk to them just to make sure that they know you're out here. Otherwise, I have to involve Child Services."

*****

"He wants to be discharged," Thirteen stated.

"Because teenagers always exercise good judgment," House countered.

"What else are we supposed to do?" Taub challenged. "He's refused every test. If he won't allow us to test him, then we can't come up with a diagnosis."

"What was he doing when he crashed the bus?" House asked, staring at the whiteboard.

"He was pulling over," Foreman replied. "The girl told us that she had been arguing with him for a few miles before he finally agreed."

"So, he was arguing," he mused. "And what happens in a heated argument?" He turned to face them, expecting a response. "Elevated heart rate, for starters. Then he lost consciousness for a few hours."

"Are you suggesting that we make him pass out again?" Thirteen asked, frowning.

"Of course not," he replied with a smirk. "That would be unethical. Never mind the fact that if he's unconscious, he can't refuse testing."

He headed out of the office and down the corridor to his patient's room. Casting a glance at Gwen, he motioned to the door with his cane.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave for a few minutes," he stated. "Guy talk."

"She stays," Kevin said evenly.

"Have it your way," he shrugged. "How long have you been coughing up blood?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"We found a bottle in your bus," he explained. "When we tested it, we found traces of blood in it." He watched the teen frown and noticed Gwen shift uncomfortably. "So, if it wasn't you, who else in your little club has been sick enough for us to find that?"

"No one else has been sick at all," Gwen told him.

"Where did you go when you left the country?" he pressed.

"None of your business," Kevin replied irritably.

"I'm not asking for your life history," House stated. "I need to know where you've been so that I can figure out if you came into contact with anything that could explain your symptoms."

"And we already told the other doctors that you've never heard of it."

"There's this wonderful thing called the internet," he said dryly.

"Give it a rest already." His heart rate was starting to rise and beads of sweat began to form on his brow. "If you don't know what's wrong then just let me get the hell out of here."

"Let me run the tests."

"No more tests. I'm not some lab rat for you to experiment on. I already told them that. All you're doing is wasting my time."

"Because that really makes my day." He took a step forward. "The sooner we find out what the problem is, the sooner we can treat you. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that we need to run tests to rule out what isn't wrong with you."

"This is bullshit," Kevin stated, grasping the rail to help him sit up.

He only made it halfway before he fell back, gasping for breath. House glanced up at the monitors, and then down at his patient before dropping his cane on the bed and yelling for the nurse.

"Get her out of here," he ordered, nodding towards Gwen as he reached for the cart. "He's crashing."

*****

"We have to tell them," Gwen insisted. They were seated in the small waiting area and had been debating the issue for several minutes.

"What are we supposed to say?" Ben asked. "They're not going to believe the truth, even if we could tell them."

"He almost died in there!" she countered. "We have to let them do their jobs, Ben."

"I know," he agreed with a sigh. It had been almost two full days since either of them had slept and fatigue was adding to the stress of the situation. "We'll have to figure out how to explain it without..." He trailed off as he watched one of the doctors approach and he rose to his feet.

"Your friend is stable," Thirteen said. "He hasn't woken up yet, though."

"Is he going to be alright?" Gwen asked.

"It's hard to tell at this point," she replied before hesitating. "If there's anything you can tell us that might help us find an answer..."

"Run your tests," Ben told her. "I know he doesn't want them, but if it'll fix whatever's wrong with him, then do it. If you find anything that you don't recognize, ask us before you bring it to your boss, alright?"

"Alright," she conceded. "But once we're done, I want to know what happened earlier." She watched the cousins exchange a glance and continued. "I know what I saw and I know it wasn't my imagination."

"Deal," Gwen agreed.

"You should try to get some rest," she advised. "We'll call you as soon as we find something."

"One of us should stay with him," Gwen said. "Just in case he wakes up."

"I'll stay," Ben stated, turning to her as he pulled a few items from his pocket. "I'll go after you get back. Give these to Karian when he wakes up."

*****

Night had fallen and House and his team were gathered around the table once more. He browsed over the test results before dropping them onto the pile of folders. Turning to the whiteboard, he lifted a marker as he spoke.

"So we now have two anomalies," he began. "What did you find in his heart?"

"There are small growths," Foreman replied. "It looked like some kind of spore."

"The antibiotics should have knocked those out. What else?"

"I don't think the anomalies are related to each other," Thirteen said. "One of them might explain the growths in his heart, which we also found in his lungs. After talking to his friends, I'd say the other one is genetic."

"There's no way of knowing without a family history," House stated. "Do we have any idea what kind of fungus is eating this kid alive?"

"We haven't found a match for it," Taub replied. "We checked almost all of the known fungi in the United States and nothing even comes close to this."

"Which means it originated elsewhere," House concluded. "We need to get him to tell us where he's been."

"Which he still doesn't want to do," Foreman told him.

"Imminent death is usually a pretty good motivator," he said with a smirk. "Did you find out anything else about that bottle?"

"Only that the blood isn't his," he replied.

"Are any of his friends showing similar symptoms?"

"No, but that doesn't mean that they're not going to," Taub stated. "They're staying with him in shifts, but none of them have offered any new information."

"Who's with him now?"

"All of them for the moment," Thirteen replied.

"Time to put some more pressure on them," House decided as he headed out of the room.

He paused outside of his patient's room, silently observing the heated debate within. With the door closed and the trio keeping their voices hushed, assumingly to prevent disturbing their unconscious companion, he couldn't make out what they were saying. However, it was obvious that the subject of their discussion was serious. He watched them for a few moments before sliding the door open and limping into the room.

"Don't mind me," he remarked as he headed towards the bed. When Karian blocked his path, he let out an exasperated sigh. "It's kind of hard to check on my patient when you're standing in my way."

"He's going to find out sooner or later," Gwen said. "Just let him by."

The statement caused House to cast a glance in her direction, an unusual sense of confusion causing his brow to furrow as he returned his gaze to the man in front of him. Karian offered a resigned shrug and stepped aside, moving to lean against the wall. When the doctor turned his attention to Kevin, the subject of their disagreement became clear.

The skin on Kevin's left forearm was discolored. The possibilities flooded his mind as he moved closer for a better look. Not only was it the wrong color, but as House brushed a finger across the surface, he realized the texture was beyond anything he had previously encountered on a patient. The skin had been replaced by red stone, the cracks in between it glowing. It was warm to the touch, but House pulled his hand away quickly when he felt a searing heat against his fingertips.

"We can explain…" Ben began as House turned to face them.

"You damn well better," he snapped.

"It's likely that this is caused by whatever is creating the other problems," Karian told him.

"I could have guessed that," House countered. "The problem is that no one knows what the hell is eating his internal organs. Where has he been in the past year? Nothing in the States matches what we've found and there sure as hell haven't been any cases where a kid's arm turned into a volcano."

As Karian strode past him, he could have sword he heard the younger man growl. House watched him pull out a cell phone and moved to follow. He paused in the doorway, the discussion between the cousins drawing his attention.

"It's only going to get worse," Gwen said quietly.

"I know," Ben replied with a sigh. "There's no way they're going to let him out of here now. Even if he was awake, if he's losing control of his powers, then we need to figure out how to get rid of whatever's causing it."

"That's what I'm trying to do," House stated, slowly turning to face them again. The surprised expression on their faces told him that they had focused their attention on Kevin as soon as they thought they were alone. "Are you ready to start talking or are you going to stand here and wait for your friend to die?"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I felt inspired today so I figured I'd work on another chapter of this. I feel the need to add a warning here. I recommended in the beginning that the previous fic (Alien Demon or Undead?) should be read first and this chapter is primarily why that's a good idea. About halfway through that fic, I began slowly developing the relationship between Karian and Ben. By the end of it, Karian had already made his feelings clear, but Ben was still rather noncomittal. As things have progressed, that's started to change. This chapter does contain very mild slash (I don't write explicit scenes as a rule) and it is kept brief.  
Another note... while this chapter does add to the plot development with Kevin's illness, there is a large section that is primarily debating between Karian and Ben. I tried to stay on-topic, but I think I went off on a bit of a tangent. Either way, I'm pleased with how it turned out.**

**Chapter Five**

"That's the most idiotic thing I've heard all day," House stated.

"That doesn't mean it's not true," Gwen insisted.

"Right, because I'm supposed to believe that you kids are part alien and have been fighting other aliens." He rolled his eyes and turned towards the door. "You're wasting my time while your friend is getting worse. Unless you have something useful to add, I have to go back to saving his life."

"Why is this so hard for you to believe?" Ben asked, growing frustrated. "How else can you explain what's going on with Kevin? What about the alien tech the other doctors saw on the bus? Believe it or not, we're Plumbers and we've been doing this for a while."

"I don't care what your little club is called," House retorted. "Although naming it after someone that fixes toilets might not be the best idea. We're going to have to have you all evaluated. If you really believe all this crap, then there has to be some underlying mental issue going on here."

He resumed his path towards the door, but only made it a couple of feet before a wall of pink energy appeared before him. He stared at it for a moment, trying to find a rational explanation for its presence, and then slowly turned to face them again. The mana-shield vanished as Gwen lowered her hand.

"Now are you ready to listen?" Ben asked.

"I'll have to consult my team," House said, his appraising gaze settling on them. "All of you, minus the one passed out on the bed, need to meet us in my office."

"We'll find Karian and be over in a few minutes," he replied. As he watched the doctor leave, he turned to his cousin. "Can you...?"

"I'll try," she told him. Her eyes took on a bright, pink glow before fading back to their usual, emerald hue. "He's on this floor, but I can't pinpoint his position. There are too many machines around." She paused and then pulled out her badge. "I have an idea." Pressing a hidden button on the side, she watched the grid appear above the device and motioned to the blinking red dot. "There he is."

"You learned that one from Kevin," he remarked with a grin. "I'll go get him and fill him in on what's going on."

He stepped out of the room, heading down the corridor and past Dr. House's office. He glanced inside, watching the discussion within for a moment before continuing down the hall. His steps brought him to the door to the men's room and he pushed it open before moving inside. As the door closed, Ben's expression changed to one of concern.

Karian was leaning over the sink, splashing cold water onto his face. His nostrils flared as he noticed the arrival of his friend, but he didn't look up. Ben grabbed a few paper towels from the dispenser above the trash can and moved to stand beside him, holding them out. Karian accepted them with a nod of thanks, his hands trembling as he wiped the water from his skin.

"You shouldn't be here," he said. "It's not safe right now."

"I've heard that one before," Ben replied. "I'll take my chances."

"Don't be foolish." He crumpled the paper towels and rested his palms on the counter. "I spoke with Cassandra. She is going to look into a few things for us. Hopefully, we'll be able to counter whatever is poisoning Kevin before we end up telling these doctors everything."

"About that..." Ben paused, frowning at the alarmed look thrown in his direction. "We didn't have much of a choice. If Kevin is losing control of his powers, then we're going to need their help to stop it. I fought him when he was like that. It's not something that I want to go through again."

"You are concerned about the effect it will have on his emotions," Karian reasoned. "Very few can cope with the reality of becoming a monster."

"You're not just talking about Kevin, are you?" He frowned and reached up to rest a hand on his shoulder. "What else did your sister tell you?"

"There are none of my kind employed at this hospital," he replied. "The closest place for me to replenish my supplies is in New York."

"Then go to New York. You'll be back before morning and I'm pretty sure we'll still be here. If Cassandra gets back to you, then you can call and give us an update."

"We leave as a team," Karian stated as he shook his head. "I will have to go out for about an hour though. I can't risk the safety of those in this building, so I will have to hunt."

Ben's hand fell back to his side as he studied him. The expression on the vampire's face clearly showed how displeased he was with that option and the teenager looked down for a moment. It was a few minutes before either of them spoke, but finally, Ben lifted his gaze to regard him.

"Maybe you don't have to," he said.

"The only other option would be to steal from the hospital," Karian replied. "I have stolen to survive in the past, but I am trying to lead an honorable existence now."

"So hurting someone else is better than stealing?" he challenged.

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Actually, I do."

The meaning of the words caused Karian to pause and his eyes widened for a moment. Shaking his head, he turned away, his fists clenched at his sides as he took a few steps away from him. He could hear Ben shadowing his movements and he clenched his teeth as he spoke.

"Absolutely not," he told him. "Have you lost all sense of self-preservation?"

"Why not?" Ben countered. "You've done it before."

"And I nearly killed you." He spun to face him, emerald eyes flashing. "I never would have done that intentionally and you know it."

"But you stopped before it was too late," the teen reminded. "Besides, the Omnitrix was able to repair the damage."

"That is not a risk that I am willing to take."

"I can't just stand here and let someone else get hurt when there's something I can do to prevent it," Ben stated, folding his arms over his chest.

"Do not provoke me, Ben," he warned. "It is difficult enough to maintain control right now. The last thing we need is for you to be in the hospital as well." His gaze strayed past the teen as the door opened and he scowled as a low growl found its way up from his chest. "Dr. House, was there something we could assist you with?"

"I figured I'd take a leak while I was waiting," House replied.

"And this is the only rest room on this floor?"

"There's probably another one, but this is my favorite," he said with a smirk. "Would you really make the cripple go to the other end of the hall just to use the bathroom?"

"How much did you hear?" Karian demanded, stepping forward.

"It's kind of hard to hear anything through a closed door," House stated, limping around him. Pausing, he turned to face him again, casting a glance in the mirror as he completed the motion. "Although there was a tidbit about you almost killing someone."

"Perhaps you heard wrong." He offered a smirk of his own as he slowly turned around again. "After all, the door is rather thick." He met the doctor's gaze evenly, his eyes narrowing as he focused his energy on the older man's willpower. "Actually, I am certain that you heard wrong. We were simply discussing our friend's condition."

"If you keep staring at me like that, I'm going to think you're coming on to me," he said. Leaning on the counter, he motioned to the mirror with his cane. "You have no reflection. I'd think I was hallucinating, but since everyone else can see you, then that theory goes out the window. You're either involved in this or you at least know something about what's going on. Which is it?"

"As soon as I know for sure, than I will be able to say more," Karian replied as the whites and pupils of his eyes were replaced by a bright, green glow. "However, I do need to ensure your silence for the time being and since you are stubbornly resistant to my suggestions, you leave me with little choice."

"You might want to leave the threats for after I've fixed your friend," House remarked, not backing down. "Face it, Dracula. You need me right now and I need to know whatever you think you know."

Karian glared at him, his lips pulling back from lengthened fangs in a snarl. He wanted nothing more than to rip the man's throat out; partly because of the doctor's arrogance and partly to quell the hunger that was pulling apart his insides. Before he could make a decision, Ben stepped between them.

"Stop it," he said, before adding "both of you. We're arguing in a bathroom when Kevin needs our help. So can we just try to get along?" He watched the glow vanish from his friend's eyes and almost breathed a sigh of relief before turning to House. "If whatever you found in him isn't from around here, then we have two ideas. If it's something he picked up in the Null Void, then there isn't anything we can do at this point. He spent almost five years in there and there's no telling what he came in contact with."

"Let's hope that you're wrong on that one," House said. "What's the other option?"

"The other option would be something from my world," Karian explained. "However, we won't know what it might be until I hear back from my sister. Even then, it will likely be at least mid-day or after sundown before we know if anything can be done about it."

"How long can you keep him stable?" Ben asked.

"If we keep him unconscious, then it'll buy us some time," the doctor replied. "The spores seem to spread the more he moves." He paused for a moment before speaking again. "If you don't come up with anything, our only other option will be to operate and remove as many of the growths as possible. There's a good chance he won't survive surgery, especially given the fact that they've attached themselves to at least his heart and lungs. We'll run some more tests to see if they're anywhere else."

"Then let's hope Cassandra can offer some insight," Karian stated, turning towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Ben asked.

"I will return within an hour," he offered as a response before stepping into the corridor.

Ben glanced at House for a brief moment before following. The doctor watched them depart, his mind dropping every piece of new information into specific categories. This was by far the strangest case he had ever been assigned, but at least now it was starting to make sense. The secrecy of the group had been lifted, but that only brought him one step closer to finding a plausible solution.

Five minutes later, he entered his office and grabbed his backpack. As he glanced at his team, he noticed their conversation had halted with his arrival and he shifted his attention between them and Gwen, who was waiting for the return of her friends.

"Keep him sedated for now," he said. "If he makes it through the night, we might be able to cure him. That is, if his friends know what they're talking about. I'm going home before the damn vampire changes his mind and decides he wants to kill me."

"Dr. House," Gwen interrupted. "If we're right, can you fix him?"

"Theoretically, yes," he replied. "I've never had to practice medicine on an alien before, so who knows? Either way, it should be interesting."

"You do realize that we're only assuming that he's part alien," she pressed. "He doesn't talk much about his family, but he mentioned once that his dad was a Plumber. I've never met his parents, but it's the only real explanation we have for his powers."

"What kind of girlfriend are you if you've never met his parents?" He shook his head slightly. "We're doing what we can."

*****

Ben caught up with him two floors down in the stairwell, taking the steps two at a time until he was beside him. Karian cast a glance at him, but said nothing as he descended the final flight of stairs and pushed open the fire door. The summer night was warm, but the vampire kept a quick pace as he strode across the parking lot.

"Wait," Ben said. When his friend stopped, but did not turn to face him, the teen stepped in front of him. "Where are you going?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

"I can't let you do that, Karian. Not when there's another way."

"This seems strangely familiar," he remarked. "This is where I remind you that I did not recall giving you a say in the matter."

"And I remember how that discussion ended," Ben countered, lifting his wrist to show the Omnitrix. "I reminded you that out of the ten aliens I have in here and one of them should be able to beat you."

"I'm not going to fight you, Ben," he said, stepping around him. "But this is something that I have to do. The longer I wait, the more danger everyone will be in." When Ben blocked his path again, he let out a low growl. "Don't do this."

"I'm not going to stand by and let someone else get hurt."

"Then there might be one other way to avoid that," Karian said, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "I will need to get something out of our transport first."

"I'll go with you."

"Of course," he muttered.

They continued across the lot in silence and Ben watched his friend carefully. Karian clenched and unclenched his fists, obviously agitated, but he said nothing until they reached the bus. He spoke only enough to give the authorization code before entering the vehicle. A few strokes on the keypad on the wall illuminated the interior and he glanced over his shoulder at Ben as he headed towards the sleeping compartment.

"Wait here," he told him.

Ben dropped onto the sofa, frowning as he tried to figure out what Karian was up to. The gravity of what he had offered was beginning to sink in and he realized he hadn't even thought about it before making the suggestion. He wasn't surprised by Karian's refusal, but for some reason, he felt a little hurt by it. The vampire had made no secret about his feelings, but Ben had been conflicted about his own. However, after working together as a team and being on the road together for a while, things were becoming clearer for him.

"I knew I still had at least one of these stashed aside." Karian's voice pulled him from his thoughts and he stood. "I suppose I keep them around out of habit," he continued. "I spent too much time learning how to take down vampires that it's difficult to break the routine."

"What are you talking about?" Ben asked, a feeling of dread seeping into the pit of his stomach. When Karian lifted the small, carved shaft of wood, his eyes widened. "I really hope that isn't what I think it is..."

"You don't want me to hunt and I refuse to harm you," he stated. "This seems like the only other alternative. Once Kevin has been healed, he can get us to New York. My sister will be calling with information and when we are near our destination, you can revive me."

"Do you remember what happened last time?" he countered.

"Last time we were both injured and you were bleeding," Karian replied. "This is different. I need you to do this for me."

"No," Ben said evenly. "We're a team and we help each other out, but this isn't the answer." He stepped over to him, stopping only a foot away. "Look, I get it, alright. You don't like being a vampire, but neither of us can do anything about that. Being self-destructive isn't going to make it any better. I know you don't want to go out there and hurt someone, and you know that I don't want that either. I'm not going to help you take yourself out either."

"It's a temporary solution," he stated.

"It's not a solution at all," Ben retorted. "This isn't how we work and you know it."

"What would you have me do then?" he snarled, hurling the stake at the wall with enough force to bury most of the shaft.

"I already told you," he said calmly, taking another step forward. "I trust you, Karian. You'll know when to stop."

"Don't ask me to do this," Karian whispered, closing his eyes as he tried to block out the sound of Ben's steady heartbeat.

"It's the best option we have."

Ben stood eye level with him and reached a hand forward, steeling his resolve as his palm rested against the side of the vampire's face. Without giving himself a chance to second-guess the decision, he leaned in and pressed his lips against Karian's. He could feel him tense in response to the unexpected action, but neither of them pulled away. Instead, he felt strong arms pull him close as their kiss intensified. Karian broke off just long enough to whisper in his ear.

"You win."

His mouth brushed against Ben's neck, hovering above his pulse before he let his fangs slide into the soft flesh. He tried to be gentle, but he heard him gasp at the sudden, although brief, pain. Karian closed his eyes, drinking as deeply as he dared of the crimson fluid. The unique flavor, no doubt enhanced by the alien DNA, was just as pleasant as he remembered, but he forced himself to stop while Ben was still standing.

Leaning back, he ran his tongue across his fangs before letting them retract. He held Ben at arm's length, concern showing in his eyes as he reached over to grab a napkin from the table. Pressing it to the tiny puncture wounds to stem the blood flow, he kept his other hand on the teenager's shoulder.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I think so," Ben replied, his heart pounding in his chest. "Just a little dizzy, I guess."

Karian nodded and guided him back to the couch, keeping pressure on the wound as they both sat. Neither of them spoke for several minutes and finally he pulled the napkin away to make sure the bleeding had stopped.

"They should have something for you to eat in the cafeteria," he said. "If it's still open, that is. Otherwise, I'm sure we can find something in the vending machines."

"I'll be alright," he insisted, although he was touched by the concern. "We should get back."

*****

"Where have you been?" Gwen demanded when they entered the room.

The pair exchanged a glance and Ben felt his features flush. He pulled another potato chip from the small bag and offered a sheepish smile.

"Vending machine?"

"It took you half an hour to find it?" she pressed, obviously not convinced. She looked them over and noticed the marks on her cousin's neck. "You didn't..." Rising, she advanced on them, glaring at Karian. "What were you thinking?"

"Geez, you're starting to sound like Kevin," Ben remarked. "I told him to, alright? It was either that or let him find someone else."

"Your cousin is too noble to allow someone else to be harmed," Karian said in mock-exasperation. "I'm sure you've noticed before." He chuckled softly and turned his attention to their slumbering friend. "Has there been any change in his condition?"

"Not that we can tell," she replied, reluctantly allowing the change of subject. "Right now, we're just going to have to wait and hope that our guess is right. When are you supposed to hear back from Cassandra?"

"Hopefully before sunrise," he replied. "However, it's likely that it will be later than that. She has to wait for her foster parents to find out what they can before she can relay the information to us."

He stepped forward and looked down at Kevin. One arm was completely covered with the red rock-like substance and the other had started to crystallize. _He is getting worse,_ he thought._ I just hope we find the answers soon before it's too late. _


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Still don't own Ben 10 Alien Force or House.**_

**Chapter Six**

"My patient is an alien," House stated as he slid into the booth.

Wilson glanced up at him, not the least bit surprised when his friend reached over to take half of the English muffin from the tray. He shook his head slightly as he dipped his fork into the small pile of scrambled eggs.

"He's a teenager," he said. "Sure, he probably annoys you." He paused, reconsidering the statement before continuing. "Then again, everyone annoys you, but that doesn't mean he's not human."

"Most teenagers don't start sprouting extra limbs," House countered. "And if you think that's weird, wait until you hear what I found in the men's room."

"I'm almost afraid to ask."

"Remember the guy that walked out of the morgue the other night?"

"I heard it was a screw up by the paramedics."

"They didn't screw up," he told him with a smirk.

The sound of his pager interrupted the exchange and he glanced down at it. Without explaining further, he got to his feet and headed out of the cafeteria. He had just made it into the elevator when Cuddy caught up with him. Pressing the "close door" button repeatedly, he sighed and realized there would be no dodging her this time.

"You blew off clinic duty," she remarked, stepping in to stand beside him.

"Seeing as how I'm trying to cure a sick alien, I figured that would get me off the hook," he replied dryly. "It's actually pretty cool in a weird, freak-of-nature kind of way. I hear he's got a tail now."

"This isn't funny, House," she told him. "If any of this gets out to the press..."

"Keep your pantyhose on," he said, rolling his eyes. "If you can. I'd like to think that no one on my team is stupid enough to go mouthing off about this to anyone."

"I hope you're right."

"Of course I'm right," House continued. "Although it would be a hell of a lot easier if there wasn't an unidentifiable fungus growing inside of him. All we can do at this point is try to keep him stable until we can get a sample of what it might be." As he exited the elevator and headed to his office, he glanced into his patient's room, pausing when he caught sight of the white-haired woman conversing with the cousins. "Where did she come from?"

"She signed in at the front desk this morning," Cuddy replied. "She said she had the samples you were waiting for, but insisted on talking to you personally. I think she's Mr. Silver's sister, so be nice to her."

"Because if her brother kills me you'll never get to see me naked." Altering his course, he slid the door open and limped into the room. "I heard you brought me a present."

"You must be Dr. House," the woman replied. Her resemblance to the vampire that had accompanied his patient was unmistakable, although she appeared to be a couple of years older than her brother. "I gave them to your colleagues. We've come up with two possibilities from my world. I brought the potential ingredients as well as the finished products that he might have consumed."

"It would help if you could be a little more specific," he said. "What exactly did you bring?"

"Perhaps you should take that up with your associates," Cassandra told him, her gaze returning to the misshapen form on the bed. "Your medicines are not working. His condition has been getting worse."

"I figured that one out on my own," House stated. "Unless you're a doctor, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave the medical analysis to me."

"I studied under the best healers of my world," she countered, her attention returning to him.

"That's great, but nowhere near relevant." He turned towards the door. "I'll make sure the nurses give you a lollipop on your way out." As he stepped out of the room, he heard Cuddy offer an apology behind him before both women followed him. "Are you both going to nag me incessantly or can I go back to doing my job?"

"Dr. House," Cassandra began. "Do you believe it would be safe to move him?"

"Let's see," he replied, stopping to look at her. "He's on a respirator to keep his lungs working while the evil mushrooms try to eat them, so no."

A loud crash from within the room caused them to turn back and they watched as Ben was sent through the glass door to slam into the opposite wall. He struggled to his feet, wincing as he turned the dial on the Omnitrix. Cassandra rushed to his side, the lights above them flickering as a staff appeared in her hand.

"How is he awake?" she asked, turning away from the bright flash of green.

"Get security up here!" Cuddy ordered the stunned nurse at the desk.

"No," Swampfire argued. "He's too strong. They'll just get hurt. We'll handle this."

"Tell security to bring some popcorn," House said.

"Can't do this all day!" Gwen called from inside the room.

She had Kevin barely restrained by thick strands of mana, using every bit of her strength to hold him in place. The transformation seemed to be complete and he stood as a grotesque combination of Ben's original ten aliens. To say that he wasn't taking the change well would have been an understatement, a fact made clear by the fury in his eyes.

"Let me go!" he growled, his voice as distorted as his appearance.

"Not until you calm down and listen," she replied.

She risked a glance over her shoulder as Swampfire and Cassandra stopped beside her, both seeming to be ready for battle. A few seeds shot forth from the plant-like alien's hand, landing on the floor before sprouting vines that coiled around Kevin's struggling form. The gypsy held her staff defensively, but waited to add her own assault to the mix, unwilling to cause more damage to the medical equipment than necessary.

"He seems beyond reason," she observed.

"We'll see about that," Swampfire replied before returning his attention to his mutated friend. "Kevin, you have to stop! This is just going to make things worse!"

"It's already worse!" he countered. "Look what they did to me!"

"It wasn't their fault," Gwen told him, staggering back as he broke through the mana-bindings. "It's a side effect of whatever else is going on. They're trying to fix things."

"Yeah, right," he scoffed.

"We don't want to fight you," Swampfire stated, sending more vines forward to keep him in place.

"Then get out of my way." His eyes narrowed as he watched House step into view. "You turned me into this freak!"

"Your physical condition is due to the medicine not working," the doctor replied calmly. "It has nothing to do with your charming personality."

"You're not helping," Gwen stated.

"Words are not helping at all," Cassandra added. "We have to find another way."

The lights above her shattered as she focused her energy on Kevin, the runes on her staff beginning to glow. Ignoring the protests of the cousins, she held the item out as arcane syllables fell from her lips. The monitoring equipment surrounding the bed sparked in response to the magical onslaught and she closed her eyes as she completed the spell.

"You hurt him!" Gwen accused as she watched Kevin fall to the floor, unconscious.

"No more than he already was," the gypsy replied. "I simply put him in a magic-induced slumber, but it won't last very long." Turning to the doctor, who was still watching with a carefully neutral expression, she continued. "You will have to increase the dose of medicine to keep him down. As soon as he is connected to the machines, they will counteract the spell."

"As soon as we get some in here that haven't been destroyed," House remarked before he looked over at Cuddy, who had remained a relatively safe distance away. "Aliens, vampires, and magic… I better be off clinic duty for a month after this."

*****

"I think I found a match," Thirteen said, leaning back from the microscope. As Taub and Foreman moved over to join her, she continued. "This is consistent with the growths we found in his lungs and heart."

"Which sample did it come from?" Foreman asked.

"Whatever the liquid in this is," she replied, holding up a small crystal vial. "If he drank this, then somehow, the mushrooms used to make it started attacking his body."

"That doesn't make sense, though," Taub argued. "If he ingested it, there's no way it should have gone to his lungs and heart."

"Maybe he swallowed it wrong," Foreman offered. "Like when you drink water and choke on it. The problem is how do we get rid of it?"

"It's responding to the same drug we tried to give him earlier," she told him. "But, for some reason, it's not working on him." She glanced over to the door as House entered. "We've identified the spores, but the Voriconazole should have taken care of them when we added it to his IV."

"Then it's not reaching the problem," House concluded, his brow furrowing in thought. "We need to get those meds to the source before our insurance rate doubles. While you three were playing around down here, they decided to hold an alien Royal Rumble upstairs."

"I thought he was sedated," Foreman remarked.

"He is, but his body is resisting it," he explained. "It's like he's just absorbing the meds and..."

He trailed off, a thought occurring to him suddenly as he turned and left the room. The three of them stared at his abrupt departure before hurrying to follow. They caught up to him easily and joined him in the elevator. Thirteen had the presence of mind to grab the vial on her way out and dropped it into the pocket of her lab coat as the doors slid closed. The ride was endured in anxious silence and the team moved with a single purpose as they headed for their patient's room.

"How often does he use his special little talent?" House asked as soon as they entered the room.

"Every time we end up fighting aliens," Ben replied, glancing up at them. "Why?"

"Do you know what this is?" Thirteen asked, withdrawing the vial from her pocket.

"That looks like the potion Abigalia gave him back is Los Soledad," Gwen observed, frowning. "Is that what's making him sick?"

"Let me guess," House began. "Right after he drank it, he absorbed something else, didn't he?"

"That's right," Ben said, trying to figure out where he was going with this line of questioning.

"When he absorbed whatever it was," the doctor continued, "his body started to absorb this little concoction too. Somehow, it traveled through his bloodstream to his heart and lungs, where the mushrooms we found in it started to breed. Every time he absorbed something else, it helped those little suckers grow until they started impairing his ability to control what he had absorbed in the past. So, now we need to wipe out those little fungi so we can turn Mr. Hyde back into Jekyll." Turning towards his team, he spoke again. "Book one of the rooms in the OR. We're going to need to get inside of him to apply the Voriconazole right to the source."

"And that'll fix him?" Gwen asked, a small measure of hope creeping into her voice.

"If he survives surgery, it should," he replied. "Well, as much as it can anyway. No amount of medicine will keep him from being an annoying teenage jerk."

"Why didn't the medicine work before?" Cassandra asked, finally turning to face them.

"Because it never made it to his heart," he explained. "As soon as it hit his bloodstream, his body absorbed it and then released it back out through his skin."

"Dr. House," Ben began. "What are the chances of him coming out of surgery alive?"

"No clue," he admitted. "We've never had to operate on an alien before. It should be interesting."

*****

"What the hell am I supposed to do with that?" Chase asked, staring at the creature being pushed into the operating room. He glanced up at the observation booth, lifting his hands in a helpless gesture. "House, what is this thing?"

"He's your patient," he replied, holding the button of the intercom with his cane. "You're the surgeon. Figure it out. Just make sure to keep a steady supply of sedatives flowing. You don't want him to wake up in the middle of open-heart surgery."

Chase stared up at him for another moment before returning his attention to the hybrid alien on the table. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and prepared to operate.

*****

"It's been eight hours," Gwen said with a sigh. "Don't you think they could have stopped by with an update?"

Ben shrugged, resting his elbows on his knees. They had been sitting in the waiting room since Kevin had been taken into the operating room, but so far, had received no word on his condition. Time had ticked by while they waited, anxiety hovering between them. Ben glanced up when he felt a hand on his shoulder, his gaze resting on Karian.

"There has been no news at all?" he asked.

"Not yet," Ben replied. He took in his appearance, frowning at the relaxed posture. "Did you...?"

"Cassandra brought a few bottles from Los Angeles for me," Karian assured him. "She is resting before she returns home. Do they at least expect a favorable outcome?"

"They won't say," Gwen told him. "The only one that's mentioned anything was Dr. House and all he said was that this is the coolest surgery he's ever watched." She shook her head in irritation. "It's like he doesn't even care if Kevin makes it out of this or not."

"Perhaps I should remind him that his own survival is linked to the well being of our friend," Karian remarked.

"You can't just kill him if they can't do anything else for Kevin," Ben argued. "That's not how we work."

"I know," the vampire replied, moving to lean against the wall. "Although his attitude practically begs for it."

"You don't like Kevin's attitude either."

"But Kevin is moderately more tolerable than the arrogant excuse for a doctor who insists that he's the only hope for recovery." His eyes narrowed as his sensitive hearing picked up the sound of approaching footsteps. "Speaking of..."

The cousins followed his gaze and watched House turn the corner, a blond-haired doctor in scrubs walking beside him as he approached. As Gwen and Ben rose to their feet, Karian stepped over to join them, all three watching the pair expectantly.

"Thing One, Thing Two, and their bloodsucking sidekick," House stated by way of introduction. "This is Dr. Chase. He just got done playing Hide and Seek with your friend's organs."

"Mind yourself, Doctor," Karian warned.

"How is he?" Gwen asked, bringing their attention back to more important matters.

"It's hard to tell at this point," Chase replied, doing his best to ignore the uncomfortable feeling growing inside of him. "He survived the surgery, which is a good sign. We think we found all of the spores, but the changes in his anatomy during the procedure made it difficult to be certain."

"What kind of changes?" Ben asked, exchanging a glance with his cousin.

"Well," he hesitated, phrasing his statements carefully. "About halfway through, the alien limbs started to shrink. By the time we had finished, he almost looked human."

"Then he's starting to regain control of his powers," Gwen said, hope surging through her. "Can we see him?"

"Not yet," Chase replied, hoping they would find the answer acceptable. "He's in a recovery room right now. We're going to keep an eye on him overnight and, unless there are any more problems, he'll be transferred back upstairs tomorrow morning."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

The cafeteria was nearly deserted and the staff was preparing to close up for the night. Gwen sat across from Ben and Karian in the booth, absently picking at the wilted remains of a salad. There had been no more news on the status of their friend and all they could do now was wait.

"You should get some rest," Karian advised them. "It's likely that we will hear nothing more until morning."

"I don't think I could sleep right now if I tried," Gwen replied, pushing the plastic bowl away.

"Same here," Ben agreed. "At least it sounds like he's going to be alright. Hopefully, they'll let him go tomorrow and we can get away from here as soon as possible." When they both gave him a confused glance, he elaborated. "Think about it. Gwen had to use her powers and I went alien in the middle of the hospital. Not to mention what happened with Kevin. Someone is bound to say something. I'm surprised we haven't had either the police or a news crew show up yet."

"Yet," Gwen repeated with a sigh. She glanced over, catching sight of the doctor who had operated on Kevin. When he headed in their direction, she returned her gaze to the pair sitting across from her. "We've got company."

"At least this one seems more pleasant to deal with than the other," Karian remarked, frowning.

"No arguments there," Ben agreed, looking up as the man stopped at their table.

"House asked me to return this," Chase said, placing a bottle of pomegranate juice on the table. "He said that he had it refilled."

"A peace offering perhaps," Karian said with a slight smile as he twisted the lid off.

"It's as close to an apology as you could expect from him," he replied, studying them for a moment before speaking again. "That's not really juice, is it?"

"I don't think you want us to answer that," Gwen said.

"That answers it enough," he remarked. "So, you're really aliens?"

The trio exchanged a glance, surprised by the blunt question. Ben was the first to respond, motioning to the empty space beside Gwen.

"Why don't you sit down," he offered. The doctor hesitated for a moment as Gwen moved over to provide a little more room, but then slid into the booth beside her. "Gwen and I are part alien. Our grandmother was an Anodyte and our Grandpa Max was a Plumber. I guess we kind of followed in his footsteps."

"Fascinating," Chase remarked, leaning forward to rest an elbow on the table. "So there really is intelligent life out there..."

"You have no idea," Gwen said.

"Have any of you been to another world?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"As a matter of fact, we visited my homeland several months ago," Karian replied before taking a sip from the juice bottle. Setting the bottle down, he chuckled softly at the surprised expression on the man's face. "I was human until a couple of years ago, but I am not native to Earth. It is, however, my home now. I'm surprised Dr. House failed to mention any of this to you."

"He didn't really tell me a whole lot," Chase told him. "House didn't even tell me about your friend's condition before he was brought into the OR."

"Imagine that," Karian said dryly.

"Well, we've got plenty of time on our hands right now," Ben said. "I don't think any of us plan on sleeping tonight."

"You'd really tell me about all of this alien business?" he asked.

"Assuming you can keep it to yourself..." Karian replied.

*****

Kevin slowly became aware of the different sounds surrounding him. The steady beep of one of the monitors caused the ache in his head to throb, matching the rhythm of the noise. He groaned, hazy memories of the past several days trying to gain clarity within his mind. His fingers twitched as he attempted to take stock of his condition. Thankfully, he only felt one set of arms and they seemed to be covered by normal, human flesh.

"I think he's waking up."

It was Gwen's voice; he would know it anywhere. He could heard the undercurrent of concern and listened to footsteps quickly retreating away from him. The sound repeated itself in reverse, joined by two more sets. He struggled to open his eyes, closing them almost immediately when the lights send another wave of pain through his head.

"Kevin?" Gwen prompted.

"It's going to take some time," another voice said, presumably one of the doctors. "He's still sedated on top of the Morphine we gave him. The good news is, that it looks like they were able to get all of it. He should be just fine."

"Thank you, Dr. Foreman," she said.

"How long until he's able to leave?" That voice belonged to Tennyson. That left only one person unaccounted for.

"It all depends on how fast he recovers from the surgery," Foreman replied. "If everything looks good, then we might be able to release him later this afternoon or tomorrow morning at the latest."

The words, along with the warmth of what he assumed to be sunlight explained the absence of the fourth member of their team. It provided no insight on how long he had been in the hospital or how long he had been unconscious. When he heard the footsteps heading out of the room, he tried again to open his eyes.

Ignoring the pain, he managed to focus on Gwen, who leaned forward to look down at him. Her eyes were filled with concern but she managed a smile when his gaze met hers.

"Welcome back," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap," he replied hoarsely. "What the hell happened?"

"Nothing that a little bit of rest and a few smoothies won't fix," Ben told him.

Kevin was sorely tempted to hit him, but instead, rested his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes. He tried to piece things together based on what he had overheard, but the medicine was urging him to go back to sleep. He stubbornly opened his eyes again and looked over at them.

"What surgery?" he asked. When no immediate response came, he scowled. "He mentioned surgery. Did they cut me open?"

"They had to, Kevin," Gwen told him. "Why don't you try to get some more rest and we'll explain it once we all get out of here?"

He was too groggy to argue and finally gave in to the drug-induced slumber.

*****

"How soon will they be out of here?" Cuddy asked, looking up from the paperwork on her desk.

"Tomorrow," House replied. "We're going to run a few more tests on him before he's discharged.

"And you can't do that today?"

"It's almost five o'clock," he replied.

"Our insurance doesn't cover rampaging aliens," she stated. "Run the tests and discharge him."

"Can't he stay just one more night?" he whined, earning him a glare.

"Not unless you want me to take all of the damages out of your paycheck," she said evenly. Glancing past him as the door opened, she spoke again. "What can I do for you, Ben?"

"Your timing sucks," House stated, turning to look at him. "She was just about to profess her undying love for me."

"House," Cuddy began with a sigh. "Go run the tests."

"He's always like that, isn't he?" Ben asked after House had left.

"This is one of his good days," she replied.

"I wanted to talk to you about the damage upstairs," he said. "We can pay for it if you want."

"That's very generous of you to offer, but..."

"It wasn't my idea," he admitted. "Besides, Karian's the one with the money. I think he feels kind of bad for threatening a couple of your doctors." He paused, choosing his next words carefully. "We were hoping that it might help convince you not to tell anyone about us."

"You don't need to bribe me," she told him. "If we start claiming that we've had aliens here, then the hospital would lose all credibility. You have nothing to worry about."

*****

"I'm sick of these tests," Kevin complained as soon as he was brought back to his room after one last chest x-ray.

"If you're well enough to whine about it, you're well enough to go home," House told him. "Or wherever it is you aliens spend your summer vacation."

"It's about damn time," he muttered.

"I liked you better when you were unconscious."

"Likewise."

"At least you two can agree on something," Gwen remarked.

"Next thing you know, we'll be BFF's," House countered before heading out of the room.

"Where's Ben?" Kevin asked once he was sure the doctor was gone.

"He went to wake up Karian so they could get the bus ready to go," she replied.

"You don't sound happy about that," he observed. "Did I miss something?"

"Don't worry about it right now," she said, forcing a smile.

"Nice try. Something's going on, Gwen. What happened while I was in here?"

"I'm just worried about Ben," she admitted.

"Why?" he laughed, but then winced at the lingering pain. "Karian's all head-over-heels for him still. He ain't gonna let nothing happen to him."

"I know, but I think Ben feels the same," she explained.

The only thing that kept Kevin from bursting into laughter again was the remaining post-surgery pain. The corners of his lips twitched up and he managed to snicker as he shook his head.

"Now I'll have to find something new to make fun of him for," he remarked. "It's not as fun if it's actually true. As long as Karian doesn't try to eat him again, then there's nothing to worry about." The look she gave him caused all traces of humor to fade from his expression. "You mean he…?" His brow furrowed in a scowl. "Just wait until I get my hands on that bloodsucking son of a bitch. I'll…"

"Let it go," she finished for him. "Look, like I said, I'm worried about Ben too, but he said he asked him to do it. He didn't want Karian to go out and hurt someone else, so he offered. I'm just not sure how comfortable I am with my cousin dating a vampire."

"He's dating a guy, but that doesn't bother you?" he asked, arching a dark eyebrow. "It doesn't matter. I told him in the beginning that if he even thought about using one of us for food, I'd take him down."

"Kevin," she began patiently. "It was Ben's choice. From what I heard, it took a lot to convince Karian to agree to it."

"I don't even want to think about what he did to convince him," he remarked, looking away. "Fine. I won't smash his face in, but we're definitely going to talk about this. It's all well and good that he and Tennyson want to hook up, but some things need to be made clear. I'm not going to have that guy chowing down on your cousin whenever he feels like it."

"We'll deal with that one we get you out of here," she told him as she glanced towards the door. "It looks like they're about to bring your discharge papers in."

*****

"Aspergillosis?" Cuddy asked, lifting her gaze from the chart to regard the team of doctors. "That's what you're listing it as?"

"It seemed to be the safest bet," Foreman replied. "It works with the fungus in his lungs and the medicine that we used to treat it."

"I wanted to go with 'weird mutant alien mushrooms', but it seems I was outvoted," House added.

"And you double checked to make sure that all of it was removed?" she prompted.

"All the tests came back clear," Thirteen assured her. "They're getting ready to discharge him in a few minutes."

"The sooner the better," Cuddy said, closing the file. "I don't think I need to remind you that we can't let any of this get out. They've offered to pay for the damage caused with the incident upstairs and I assured them that everything that happened will remain strictly confidential."

"Where's the fun in that?" House asked, rolling his eyes. "We just diagnosed an alien, whose illness was caused by something not even from this planet, and we can't even brag about it?"

"Well, seeing as how I'm willing to give you that month off from clinic duty," she began, "I figured this would make it even."

"You never said I had to keep my mouth shut," he countered. "Make it two months."

"It'll be one month," she said firmly. "And you'll keep your mouth shut or I'll fire you."

"Fine," he stated before turning towards the door. "Time to go see what boring, non-alien case is waiting in my office now."

*****

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Kevin demanded as soon as he saw the pair waiting by the bus. "You didn't learn the first time he almost killed you?"

"You told him?" Ben asked, staring at Gwen.

"I would have found out anyway," Kevin stated as he turned his attention to Karian. "Keep your goddamn fangs to yourself from now on."

The vampire seemed about to offer a retort, but Ben placed a hand on his arm and shook his head. Karian studied him for a moment before looking to Kevin again. He gave a curt nod and climbed the steps into the bus. Kevin glared after him and then returned his attention to Ben.

"I mean it, Tennyson," he said. "If he does it again, I'll…"

"Knock it off, Kevin," Ben told him. "You made your point, so can we go now?"

"Fine, but I'm driving." Following the cousins into the bus, he gave one last look at the hospital. "I want to get the hell out of New Jersey before I get stuck here any longer."

* * *

_**A/N: Well, that's it for this one. I know it's a lot shorter than my last fic, but to be honest, I could only draw this out so much. The concept for this story was a personal challenge for myself on two fronts. First, since I write primarily action/horror, writing a drama (let alone a medical drama) was something new for me. Secondly, I wanted to see if I could take two drastically different mediums, put them together, and make it work. The positive response I've received tells me that I've managed to do so successfully.**_

_**As for Ben, Gwen, Kevin, and Karian... Their journey will continue in the next story. I plan to start on it sometime today and should have at least the first chapter posted by the end of the week. It's probably going to be another crossover, so feel free to either add me to your subscriptions list or drop me a PM and I'll let you know when it goes up.**_

_**Finally, I'd like to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, and/or subscribed to "Detour". I'm glad you took the time to take a look at it and I hope you enjoyed it.  
**_


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